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trombone & low brass

trombone
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

Tom Burge is a trombonist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. He also is the Low Brass Instructor at Wingate University and Pfeiffer College, member of the Cornelius Youth Orchestras’ artistic faculty, and the Trombone Instructor at UNC Pembroke, Queens University of Charlotte, and Central Piedmont Community College. Burge was previously the host of the radio show “Sunday Evening” on classical public radio station 89.9 WDAV for 8 years and has been a guest morning, midday, and evening presenter on Boston-based 99.5 WGBH.

A native of Australia, Burge has performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Orchestra, and Canberra Symphony Orchestra. He earned his Masters Degree in 1996 as a full scholarship student at the Juilliard School, having received a Queen Elizabeth II Award. Now living in the United States, Burge has performed with the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Cincinnati, Atlanta, Baltimore, Charleston, Augusta, Winston Salem, Fayetteville, and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras.

Previously in the field of academia Burge was Trombone Instructor at Davidson College, and Chair of the Brass Department at the Canberra School of Music at the Australian National University. He gives master classes, clinics, and recitals around the world, and his students perform as soloists and in orchestras internationally. Burge gave the Australian premiere of Eric Ewazen’s trombone concerto “Visions of Light” and was a guest soloist at the 2012 American Trombone Workshop held in Washington DC where he performed Ewazen’s “Sonata for Trombone” with the composer at the piano. At the same festival, he was a guest performer with the Washington Trombone Ensemble. In the United States, he has appeared as a guest clinician and soloist at The Juilliard School, UCLA, California State University in Northridge, Cleveland Institute of Music, UNC at Chapel Hill, UNC School of the Arts, UNC Charlotte, Davidson College, Appalachian State University, Ouachita Baptist University AR, Winthrop University, and Gardner Webb University. He appeared as soloist with the Wingate University Wind Ensemble in October 2015, and has also appeared in Santiago where he gave a master class at the Universidad de Chile. Internationally, Burge appeared at the Spoleto Festival and also was a guest recital performer at the 1999 Tubamania Festival in Sydney Australia, the 2005 Melbourne International Brass Festival, and the 2013 International Trumpet Guild Conference. He was a guest presenter at the 2016 ITEC conference in Tennessee, the 2019 International Women’s Brass Conference in Arizona, the 2019 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference in Iowa, a guest performer at the 2016 ITF in New York City, and a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Oregon in 2018.

In addition to his work as performer, teacher, and radio host, Burge has had considerable experience as a conductor. He was the Musical Director of the Canberra Choral Society, the Australian National University Brass Ensemble, and the national-award-winning Hall Village Brass Band. He is the previous Musical Director of the Queen City Brass Band.